going to a sushi restaurant?

Question

I am going to a sushi restaurant this week in the detroit area. I've only tried it once. What i am wondering is if i can get something vegetarian, or if its out of the ordinary to get it cooked. Any suggestions on what i should order as a beginner would be helpful too.

Answer 1

I work at a sushi restaurant and have been eating sushi since I was eight years old. I have gotten many family members to try it, including my grandmother. I think I'm pretty knowledgeable about the stuff.


Okay, I should start by saying the word 'sushi' refers to the rice, not the fish. Yes, that's true. Meaning you can have vegetarian sushi - it has the rice, and it has something non-meat. Yes, breath a sigh of relief. You don't have to dive in and take a bite of raw fish if you aren't ready for it.

Let me explain the different kinds of food typically put under the category of sushi:

1. Maki - these are the rolls you see. The required ingredients are seaweed, which is typically wrapped around the roll, and rice, which is typically inside the roll. Regular maki has the rice inside the seaweed, 'inside-out rolls' have the rice on the outside. Still, they have the same cylindrical shape and all include rice and usually at least one other item.

2. Nigiri - this is the rice balls with an item (usually fish) on top. You can have 'tamago nigiri', which is cooked egg on rice. Usually sweet - I love it! Nigiri is that form where the rice is in a ball underneath the item in question. Be warned - sometimes there is a dab of wasabi between the item on top and the rice - wasabi is a form of horseradish that can make your eyes tear up and your sinuses clear.

3. Sashimi - these are plain slabs of fish, no rice (or rice on the side in a bowl). This is NOT sushi because it does not come with the vinegared rice. Probably a little too adventurous for a beginner sushi eater, but it may help to know the title. Who knows? You may grow to love it.



Okay, now that you know the vocab I can explain some good items to try. A lot of it depends on what the restaurant offers. I know some restaurants cater more towards vegetarian maki than others, but all should have some varieties of non-fish items. I recommend asparagus maki, yam maki, eggplant maki, cucumber maki, and avocado maki. Every sushi restaurant should have at least the last two of those, if not more. All you'd be getting is the vegetable in question, rice, and some seaweed (it's really good for you and doesn't taste like anything really!)

I recommend you try the tamago nigiri. It is like a sweet omelet on rice. I love it - I usually eat it like a dessert.

For non-sushi items offered a most Japanese restaurants, many places offer entrees, such as teriyaki or tempura. Tempura is simply fried vegetables and shrimp (if specified). Most entree items are cooked. Try the miso soup - every Japanese restaurant I've ever been to has had it. It's a standard. It's soy broth with tofu chunks, seaweed, mushrooms, and other items depending on the restaurant. Very basic, and definitely a good way to start the meal. If you order a bowl of white rice and a miso soup to start, you will probably not need much more to fill you up. One cucumber roll and maybe some tamago nigiri, and that'll be the end of your second sushi experience!

If you'd like to adventure out a little more, I would advise you trying the California roll. It is made with avocado and imitation crabstick. Imitation crabstick is not real crab. It is made with other fish, but it IS cooked. Ask if they roll the maki in roe, however. You may want to request that they roll the California roll in sesame seeds instead, as fish eggs (roe) may not be something you're ready for.

Good luck and have fun! Keep an open mind!

Answer 2

I'm sorry that I have to say that you picked the wrong restaurant / cuicine, going to sushi restaurant (real good one) and expecting to have something vegetarian is a WASTE!!!! What fun is it to have vegetarian items in a Sushi Restaurant?

I like sushi and I like them fresh and raw!!!!

Kapamaki (cucumber) is damn boring! (though the cucumber is raw!)

Seaweed?? It is for decoration on a sashimi dish, even the seaweed (konbu) in the miso soup is just one of the side ingredients and the main is tofu or other vegetables + the dashi (soup base) of the soup.

As for the beginner, I still would suggest you to try the nice raw seafood items :

ne gi toro maki (roll) - tuna belly pasted with finely chopped Japanese leek and sesame seed, it is real rich, fatty and taste good that you would not know that you are eating raw fish

salmon

scallop

sweet shrimp (a ma e bi)

Tips for ordering sushi in a sushi restaurant:

It is good to have a seat at the counter top and have a view of how the chef prepared your sushi. Ask the chef or the waiter for recommendation of real fresh seafood. Good luck!

Answer 3

They almost always have vegetarian dishes. Just read the menu. There will also probably be some cooked fish. Just ask the waiter.
I would try inari (tofu), tamago (scrambled egg), and a vegetarian roll of some sort.
If you decide to go for raw fish, try tuna in a roll first.
Go with hot green tea, and put soy sauce and a TINY bit of wasabi on everything. Eat one slice of ginger after each piece to clear your palate.
Use chopsticks if you know how, but it is also perfectly acceptable to eat manually (you will have washed your hands well prior to and then after eating).
The only reason I don't eat sushi at every meal is because it would be too expensive.

Answer 4

There are a number of cooked sushi available such as eel, shrimp (ebi), smoked salmon, sweet egg, (tamago), among others. It is certainly better if you ask so that the server may help you, they will be more than glad to help you. Also, when it comes to vegetarian sushi, some offer a huge variety of them. Ask also. It is also proper to eat the sushi whole, as many Japanese people do. You may also use your hand to pick up your sushi. When dipping your sushi in soy sauce, make sure you dip the meat/ seafood side instead of the rice.

Answer 5

1) No, it's not out of the ordinary to get cooked sushi. A common misconception is that all sushi is raw. This is not true. Here's a list of what I like (I'm a vegetarian, too :D)
kappa maki (cucumber)
inari (tofu bean curd skin, sounds weird, but it's really sweet, and definitely vegetarian)
takuan (sometimes in restaurants. it's pickled daikon, or a white colored version of a carrot)
seaweed futomaki (oval shaped sushi wrapped in seaweed and topped with chewy seaweed strips.)

Also, from previous comments, if the restaurant serves ramen, it's a good idea to order a bowl. Yet the broth is almost always meat-based, eg. chicken/pork. Just to warn ya.

Kitsune udon is a good choice, too. Bean curd skin atop a bunch of yummy noodles (different from ramen), but may be cooked and served in chicken broth.

Soba, cold buckwheat noodles, is my favorite choice on a hot summer day. It's purely vegetarian, and is served with a yummy dipping sauce (shoyu, Japanese soy sauce. different from America's soy sauce, though.)
I hope this was helpful!

Answer 6

You can try ramen (noodle) if they serve it. Vegetarian sushi is very limited in variety. You go for the pickled vegetables sushi, the egg sushi, the artificial crab meat sushi. Or just plain rice with seaweed furikake.

Answer 7

Try a smoked salmon roll.. on top of a california roll ( veggie w/ fake crab meat) . They have plenty of vegetarian rolls too..
Can you drink? Traditionally, people would have warm sake to go w/ the sushi... but I love my sake cold!

Answer 8

I've tryed sushi and I didn't like it much but that's probably because I don't eat fish to Begin with let alone row fish.but I've herd that the sea weed is good if you don't want to eat fish...

Answer 9

lots of cooked sushi on the menu and lots of vegitarian stuf have the miso soup and a california roll but be open minded and try the tuna you will love it

Answer 10

Well if this is vegetarian with Fish ok to eat?!? :) I love EEL roll......I think that CALIFORNIA roll is one of the safest choices....it's simple -------------there is this PIZZA roll (it might be called something else depending on where u live...but its actually really cooked --!:) and it has salmon and other 3 kinds of "fishi's" ..........

few links
this link just has some rolls listed:)

http://yakimonosd.tripod.com/id5.htm
http://www.matsurestaurant.com/sushimenu.html